Smart building manager

ABSTRACT

A building manager includes a communications interface configured to receive information from a smart energy grid. The building manager further includes an integrated control layer configured to receive inputs from and to provide outputs to a plurality of building subsystems. The integrated control layer includes a plurality of control algorithm modules configured to process the inputs and to determine the outputs. The building manager further includes a fault detection and diagnostics layer configured to use statistical analysis on the inputs received from the integrated control layer to detect and diagnose faults. The building manager yet further includes a demand response layer configured to process the information received from the smart energy grid to determine adjustments to the plurality of control algorithms of the integrated control layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/224,205, filed Jul. 29, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/091,261, filed Nov. 26, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No.9,429,927, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/819,977, filed Jun. 21, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,600,556, whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/219,326, filedJun. 22, 2009, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/234,217, filed Aug.14, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/302,854, filed Feb. 9,2010. The entireties of all of these applications are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of buildingmanagement systems. The present invention more particularly relates tosystems and methods for integrating a building management system withsmart grid components and data.

In a smart grid, the switching points in the grid, as well as severalother points distributed throughout the grid, include microprocessordriven controls configured to automatically reconfigure the circuits andcommunicate bi-directional information. The communicated information canbe carried over the power distribution grid itself or othercommunication mediums (e.g., wireless, optical, wired, etc.).

A smart grid is a key element of a comprehensive strategy to increaseenergy reliability and efficiency, reduce energy costs, and lowergreenhouse gas emissions. The large portion of smart grid R&D effortstoday are focused on creating the digital communications architectureand distribution management infrastructure connecting power plant andutility-scale energy resources with distributed meters.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the invention relates to a building manager. Thebuilding manager includes a communications interface configured toreceive information from a smart energy grid. The building managerfurther includes an integrated control layer configured to receiveinputs from and to provide outputs to a plurality of buildingsubsystems. The integrated control layer includes a plurality of controlalgorithm modules configured to process the inputs and to determine theoutputs. The building manager further includes a fault detection anddiagnostics layer configured to use the inputs received from theintegrated control layer to detect and diagnose faults. The buildingmanager also includes a demand response layer configured to process theinformation received from the smart energy grid to determine adjustmentsto the plurality of control algorithms of the integrated control layer.The fault detection and diagnostics layer may detect and diagnose faultsusing at least one of statistical analysis, rule-based analysis, andmodel-based analysis.

The building manager may include an automated measurement and validationlayer configured to measure energy use or track energy savings based onrepresentations of the inputs stored in memory according to aninternational performance management and verification protocol (IPMVP).

The building manager may further include an enterprise applicationslayer configured to provide services to enterprise level applicationsfor communicating with the integrated control layer, the fault detectionand diagnostics layer, the demand response layer, and the automatedmeasurement and validation layer. The enterprise applications layer mayinclude a web services interface configured to receive requests fromenterprise applications and to respond to the requests.

The smart energy grid may include at least one of (a) a smart meterconfigured to receive time-of-use pricing information wherein theinformation received by the communications interface is the time-of-usepricing information, and (b) energy providers and purchasers configuredto provide daily or hourly time-of-use pricing information to thecommunications interface.

The demand response layer may be configured to curtail energy use of theplurality of building subsystems based on the time-of-use pricinginformation. The demand response layer may be further configured toreceive energy availability information from at least one of a localenergy generation source, remote energy generation source, a distributedenergy generation source, a local energy storage system, and a remoteenergy storage system. The demand response layer may yet further beconfigured to use the energy availability information in its processingof the information received from the smart energy grid to determine theadjustments to the plurality of control algorithms of the integratedcontrol layers. The demand response layer may also be configured tocause a building electrical system to use power from the at least one ofa local energy generation source, a distributed energy generationsource, a local energy storage system, and a remote energy storagesystem to power one or more loads normally powered by the smart energygrid. Yet further, the demand response layer may be configured toprovide power to the smart energy grid from at least one of a localenergy generation source, a distributed energy generation source, alocal energy storage system, and a remote energy storage system. Thedemand response layer may be configured to provide the power to thesmart energy grid when the power may be sold to the smart energy gridfor a profit. The demand response layer may be configured to compare thetime-of-use pricing information to cost information associated with theat least one of a local energy generation source, a distributed energygeneration source, a local energy storage system, and a remote energystorage system during its processing. The demand response module may beconfigured to bi-directionally communicate with the smart energy gridvia the communications interface and the demand response module may beconfigured to communicate data regarding the energy use anticipated bythe building management system to the smart energy grid. Processing theinformation by the demand response layer and received from the smartenergy grid may include comparing pricing information to thresholdinformation associated with adjustments for the plurality of controlalgorithms. The adjustments for the plurality of control algorithms maybe tiered or prioritized such that high priority building subsystems anddevices are not affected by the time-of-use pricing information to theextent that lower priority building subsystems and devices are affected.The tiering information or prioritization information used by the demandresponse module may be stored in memory and the building managementsystem may further include a web service configured to receive updatesto the tiering information or prioritization information. The webservice may be configured to provide information for generating agraphical user interface to a client. The graphical user interface maybe configured to prompt a user for updates to the tiering information orprioritization information.

The communications interface may be a power line carrier interface, anEthernet interface, another wired interface, or a wireless interface.The building manager includes at least one processing circuit and atleast one memory device. The integrated control layer, the faultdetection and diagnostics layer, and the demand response layer may eachbe computer code modules stored in the memory device. In otherembodiments the computer code modules may be distributed acrossdifferent memory devices. The computer code modules configure theprocessing circuit to provide the functions of the integrated controllayer, the fault detection and diagnostics layer, and the demandresponse layer.

The automated measurement and validation layer is configured to validatean energy consumption measurement against data received from anothercalculation or source. The automated measurement and validation layermay further be configured to store pricing data received from the smartenergy grid and to use the stored pricing data to compute an energy costsavings for a control strategy or for a period of time. The automatedmeasurement and validation layer may further be configured to validatethe calculated energy cost savings using a standardized energy savingscalculation method. The automated measurement and validation layer maybe configured to monitor energy consumption for a building based oninputs from building subsystems. In some embodiments the automatedmeasurement and validation layer may complete a calculation of energyconsumption for the building without using inputs from a utility meteror power provider. The automated measurement and validation layer may beconfigured to validate energy use information provided by a utility ormeter using the calculation of energy consumption for the building thatis calculated without using inputs from the utility meter or powerprovider. The automated measurement and validation layer may beconfigured to calculate greenhouse gas emissions for the building. Theautomated measurement and validation layer may further be configured toconvert the calculated greenhouse gas emissions into a tradable credit.The automated measurement and validation layer may yet further beconfigured to provide information about the tradable credit to a remotesource via the communications interface or another communicationsinterface. The automated measurement and validation layer may further beconfigured to receive at least one of a trade confirmation message and atrade offer message from the remote source via the communicationsinterface or the other communications interface. Yet further, theautomated measurement and validation layer may be configured to completea transaction using the tradable credit and the trade confirmationmessage or trade offer message from the remote source. The automatedmeasurement and validation layer may be included within the same serveras the integrated control layer, the fault detection and diagnosticslayer, and the demand response layer.

The integrated control layer may be configured to use inputs from thesmart energy grid, building energy loads, and/or building energy storagein a control algorithm configured to reduce energy costs based on thereceived inputs. The demand response layer may be configured to adjustor affect the control algorithm of the integrated control layer byplanning a control strategy based on received real time pricing (RTP)information or forecasted pricing information for energy from a utility.The demand response layer may further be configured to calculate anestimate of demand loads for the building for upcoming time periodsbased on at least one of historical information, forecasted pricing,scheduled facility control events, and inputs from the building'ssubsystems. The demand response layer may yet further be configured toprovide the calculated estimate of demand loads for the building to thesmart energy grid for an energy provider. The building subsystemintegration layer may be configured to translate communications from aplurality of disparately protocolled building devices or subsystems foruse by the integrated control layer as inputs.

Alternative exemplary embodiments relate to other features andcombinations of features as may be generally recited in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The disclosure will become more fully understood from the followingdetailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, inwhich:

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a building manager connected to a smartgrid and a plurality of building subsystems, according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 1B is a more detailed block diagram of the building manager shownin FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the building subsystem integration layershown in FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a detailed diagram of a portion of a smart building manager asshown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a detailed diagram of a fault detection and diagnostics layeras shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, according to an exemplary embodiment; and

FIGS. 5A-5D are exemplary graphical user interfaces for a buildingoccupant interface, according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a building management system configuredto improve building efficiency, to enable greater use of renewableenergy sources, and to provide more comfortable and productivebuildings.

A building management system (BMS) is, in general, hardware and/orsoftware configured to control, monitor, and manage devices in or arounda building or building area. BMS subsystems or devices can includeheating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) subsystems or devices,security subsystems or devices, lighting subsystems or devices, firealerting subsystems or devices, elevator subsystems or devices, otherdevices that are capable of managing building functions, or anycombination thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 1A, a block diagram of a system 100 including asmart building manager 106 is shown, according to an exemplaryembodiment. Smart building manager 106 is connected to a smart grid 104and a plurality of building subsystems 128. The building subsystems 128may include a building electrical subsystem 134, an informationcommunication technology (ICT) subsystem 136, a security subsystem 138,a HVAC subsystem 140, a lighting subsystem 142, a lift/escalatorssubsystem 132, and a fire safety subsystem 130. The building subsystems128 can include fewer, additional, or alternative subsystems. Forexample, building subsystems 128 may also or alternatively include arefrigeration subsystem, an advertising or signage system subsystem, acooking subsystem, a vending subsystem, or a printer or copy servicesubsystem. Conventionally these systems are autonomous and managed byseparate control systems. The smart building manager described herein isconfigured to achieve energy consumption and energy demand reductions byintegrating the management of the building subsystems.

Each of building subsystems 128 include any number of devices,controllers, and connections for completing their individual functionsand control activities. For example, HVAC subsystem 140 may include achiller, a boiler, any number of air handling units, economizers, fieldcontrollers, supervisory controllers, actuators, temperature sensors, orother devices for controlling the temperature within a building. Asanother example, lighting subsystem 142 may include any number of lightfixtures, ballasts, lighting sensors, dimmers, or other devicesconfigured to controllably adjust the amount of light provided to abuilding space. Security subsystem 138 may include occupancy sensors,video surveillance cameras, digital video recorders, video processingservers, intrusion detection devices, access control devices andservers, or other security-related devices.

In an exemplary embodiment, the smart building manager 106 is configuredto include: a communications interface 107 to the smart grid 104 outsidethe building, an interface 109 to disparate subsystems 128 within abuilding (e.g., HVAC, lighting security, lifts, power distribution,business, etc.), and an interface to applications 120, 124 (network orlocal) for allowing user control, and the monitoring and adjustment ofthe smart building manager 106 or subsystems 128. Enterprise controlapplications 124 may be configured to provide subsystem-spanning controlto a graphical user interface (GUI) or to any number of enterprise-levelbusiness applications (e.g., accounting systems, user identificationsystems, etc.). Enterprise control applications 124 may also oralternatively be configured to provide configuration GUIs forconfiguring the smart building manager 106. In yet other embodimentsenterprise control applications 124 can work with layers 110-118 tooptimize building performance (e.g., efficiency, energy use, comfort, orsafety) based on inputs received at the interface 107 to the smart gridand the interface 109 to building subsystems 128. In an exemplaryembodiment smart building manager 106 is integrated within a singlecomputer (e.g., one server, one housing, etc.). In various otherexemplary embodiments the smart building manager 106 can be distributedacross multiple servers or computers (e.g., that can exist indistributed locations).

FIG. 1B illustrates a more detailed view of smart building manager 106,according to an exemplary embodiment. In particular, FIG. 1B illustratessmart building manager 106 as having a processing circuit 152.Processing circuit 152 is shown to include a processor 154 and memorydevice 156. Processor 154 can be implemented as a general purposeprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), one ormore field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), a group of processingcomponents, or other suitable electronic processing components. Memorydevice 156 (e.g., memory, memory unit, storage device, etc.) is one ormore devices (e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash memory, hard disk storage, etc.) forstoring data and/or computer code for completing and/or facilitating thevarious processes, layers and modules described in the presentapplication. Memory device 156 may be or include volatile memory ornon-volatile memory. Memory device 156 may include database components,object code components, script components, or any other type ofinformation structure for supporting the various activities andinformation structures described in the present application. Accordingto an exemplary embodiment, memory device 156 is communicably connectedto processor 154 via processing circuit 152 and includes computer codefor executing (e.g., by processing circuit 152 and/or processor 154) oneor more processes described herein.

Communications interfaces 107, 109 can be or include wired or wirelessinterfaces (e.g., jacks, antennas, transmitters, receivers,transceivers, wire terminals, etc.) for conducting data communicationswith, e.g., smart grid 104, energy providers and purchasers 102,building subsystems 128, or other external sources via a directconnection or a network connection (e.g., an Internet connection, a LAN,WAN, or WLAN connection, etc.). For example, communications interfaces107, 109 can include an Ethernet card and port for sending and receivingdata via an Ethernet-based communications link or network. In anotherexample, communications interfaces 107, 109 can include a WiFitransceiver for communicating via a wireless communications network. Inanother example, one or both of interfaces 107, 109 may include cellularor mobile phone communications transceivers. In one embodimentcommunications interface 107 is a power line communications interfaceand communications interface 109 is an Ethernet interface. In otherembodiments, both communications interface 107 and communicationsinterface 109 are Ethernet interfaces or are the same Ethernetinterface. Further, while FIG. 1A shows applications 120 and 124 asexisting outside of smart building manager 106, in some embodimentsapplications 120 and 124 may be hosted within smart building manager 106generally or memory device 156 more particularly.

Building Subsystem Integration Layer

Referring further to FIG. 1B, the building subsystem integration layer118 is configured to manage communications between the rest of the smartbuilding manager 106's components and the building subsystems. Thebuilding subsystem integration layer 118 may also be configured tomanage communications between building subsystems. The buildingsubsystem integration layer 118 may be configured to translatecommunications (e.g., sensor data, input signals, output signals, etc.)across a plurality of multi-vendor/multi-protocol systems. For example,the building subsystem integration layer 118 may be configured tointegrate data from subsystems 128.

In FIG. 2, the building subsystem integration layer 118 is shown ingreater detail to include a message format and content normalizationcomponent 202. The message format and content normalization component202 is configured to convert data messages for and from disparatelyprotocolled devices or networks (e.g., different building subsystems,differently protocolled smart-grid sources, etc.). The message formatand content normalization component 202 is shown to include twosubcomponents, an application normalization component 204 and a buildingsubsystem normalization component 206. The application normalizationcomponent 204 is a computer function, object, service, or combinationthereof configured to drive the conversion of communications for andfrom applications (e.g., enterprise level applications 120, 124 shown inFIG. 1A, a computerized maintenance management system 222, utilitycompany applications via smart grid 104 shown in FIG. 1A, etc.). Thebuilding subsystem normalization component 206 is a computer function,object, service, or combination thereof configured to drive theconversion of communications for and from building subsystems (e.g.,building subsystems 128 shown in FIG. 1A, building subsystemcontrollers, building devices, security systems, fire systems, etc.).The application normalization component 204 and the building subsystemnormalization component 206 are configured to accommodate multiplecommunications or data protocols. In some embodiments, the applicationnormalization component 204 and the building subsystem normalizationcomponent 206 are configured to conduct the conversion for each protocolbased on information stored in modules 208-220 (e.g., a table, a script,in memory device 156 shown in FIG. 1B) for each of systems or devices222-234. The protocol modules 208-220 may be, for example, schema mapsor other descriptions of how a message for one protocol should betranslated to a message for a second protocol. In some embodiments themodules 208-220 may be “plug-in” drivers that can be easily installed toor removed from a building subsystem integration layer 118 (e.g., via anexecutable installation routine, by placing a file in an interfacesfolder, etc.) during setup. For example, modules 208-220 may be vendorspecific (e.g., Johnson Controls, Honeywell, Siemens, etc.),standards-based (e.g., BACnet, ANSI C12.19, Lon Works, Modbus, RIP,SNMP, SOAP, web services, HTML, HTTP/HTTPS, XML, XAML, TFTP, DHCP, DNS,SMTP, SNTP, etc.), user built, user selected, and/or user customized. Insome embodiments the application normalization component 204 or buildingsubsystem normalization component 206 are configured for compatibilitywith new modules or drivers (e.g., user defined or provided by a vendoror third party). In such embodiments, message format and contentnormalization component 202 may advantageously be scaled for futureapplications or case-specific requirements (e.g., situations calling forthe use of additional cyber security standards such as dataencryption/decryption) by changing the active module set or byinstalling a new module.

Using message format and content normalization component 202, thebuilding subsystem integration layer 118 can be configured to provide aservice-oriented architecture for providing cross-subsystem controlactivities and cross-subsystem applications. The message format andcontent normalization component 202 can be configured to provide arelatively small number of straightforward interfaces (e.g., applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs)) or protocols (e.g., open protocols,unified protocols, common protocols) for use by layers 108-116 (shown inFIG. 1A) or external applications (e.g., 120, 124 shown in FIG. 1A) andto “hide” such layers or applications from the complexities of theunderlying subsystems and their particular data transport protocols,data formats, semantics, interaction styles, and the like. Configurationof the message format and content normalization component 202 may occurautomatically (e.g., via a building subsystem and device discoveryprocess), via user configuration, or by a combination of automateddiscovery and user configuration. User configuration may be driven byproviding one or more graphical user interfaces or “wizards” to a user,the graphical user interfaces allowing the user to map an attribute fromone protocol to an attribute of another protocol. Configuration tool 162shown in FIG. 1B may be configured to drive such an association process.The configuration tool 162 may be served to clients (local or remote)via web services 158 and/or GUI engine 160 (both shown in FIG. 1B). Theconfiguration tool 162 may be provided as a thin web client (e.g., thatprimarily interfaces with web services 158) or a thick client (e.g.,that only occasionally draws upon web services 158 and/or GUI engine160). Configuration tool 162 may be configured to use a W3C standardintended to harmonize semantic information from different systems tocontrollably define, describe and store relationships between thedata/protocols (e.g., define the modules 208-220). For example, the W3Cstandard used may be the Web Ontology Language (OWL). In some exemplaryembodiments, configuration tool 162 may be configured to prepare themessage format and content normalization component 202 (anddevice/protocol modules 208-220 thereof) for machine levelinteroperability of data content.

Once the building subsystem integration layer 118 is configured,developers of applications may be provided with a software developmentkit to allow rapid development of applications compatible with the smartbuilding manager (e.g., with an application-facing protocol or API ofthe building subsystem integration layer). Such an API orapplication-facing protocol may be exposed at the enterprise integrationlayer 108 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In various exemplary embodiments,the smart building manager 106 including building subsystem integrationlayer 118 includes the following features or advantages: seamless inthat heterogeneous applications and subsystems may be integrated withoutvarying or affecting the behavior of the external facing interfaces orlogic; open in that it allows venders to develop products andapplications by coding adapters (e.g. modules 208-220 shown in FIG. 2)or features according to a well-defined specification; multi-standard inthat it supports subsystems that operate according to standards as wellas proprietary protocols; extensible in that it accommodates newapplications and subsystems with little to no modification; scalable inthat it supports many applications and subsystems, adaptable in that itallows for the addition or deletion of applications or subsystemswithout affecting system consistency; user-configurable in that it isadjustable to changes in the business environment, business rules, orbusiness workflows; and secure in that it protects informationtransferred through the integration channel. Additional details withrespect to building subsystem integration layer 118 are described belowwith respect to FIG. 3.

Integrated Control Layer

Referring further to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the integrated control layer 116is configured to use the data input and/or output of the buildingsubsystem integration layer 118 to make control decisions. Due to thesubsystem integration provided by the building subsystem integrationlayer 118, the integrated control layer 116 can integrate controlactivities of the subsystems 128 such that the subsystems 128 behave asa single integrated supersystem. In an exemplary embodiment theintegrated control layer 116 includes control logic that uses inputs andoutputs from a plurality of building subsystems to provide greatercomfort and energy savings relative to the comfort and energy savingsthat separate subsystems could provide alone. For example, informationfrom a first building subsystem may be used to control a second buildingsubsystem. By way of a more particular example, when a building employeebadges in at a parking garage, a message may be sent from the parkingsubsystem to the building subsystem integration layer 118, convertedinto an event recognized as a universal occupancy (e.g., “badge-in”)event and provided to integrated control layer 116. Integrated controllayer 116 may include logic that turns on the lights in the buildingemployee's office, begins cooling the building employee's office inresponse to the anticipated occupancy, and boots up the employee'scomputer. The decision to turn the devices on is made by integratedcontrol layer 116 and integrated control layer 116 may cause proper “on”commands to be forwarded to the particular subsystems (e.g., thelighting subsystem, the IT subsystem, the HVAC subsystem). Theintegrated control layer 116 passes the “on” commands through buildingsubsystem integration layer 118 so that the messages are properlyformatted or protocolled for receipt and action by the subsystems. As isillustrated in FIGS. 1A-B, the integrated control layer 116 is logicallyabove the building subsystems and building subsystem controllers. Theintegrated control layer 116, by having access to information frommultiple systems, is configured to use inputs from one or more buildingsubsystems 128 to make control decisions for control algorithms of otherbuilding subsystems. For example, the “badge-in” event described abovecan be used by the integrated control layer 116 (e.g., a controlalgorithm thereof) to provide new setpoints to an HVAC control algorithmof the HVAC subsystem.

While conventional building subsystem controllers are only able toprocess inputs that are directly relevant to the performance of theirown control loops, the integrated control layer 116 is configured to usean input from a first subsystem to make an energy-saving controldecision for a second subsystem. Results of these decisions can becommunicated back to the building subsystem integration layer 116 via,for example, the message format and content normalization component 202shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, advantageously, regardless of the particularHVAC system or systems connected to the smart building manager, and dueto the normalization at the building subsystem integration layer 118,the integrated control layer's control algorithms can determine acontrol strategy using normalized temperature inputs, and provide anoutput including a normalized setpoint temperature to the buildingsubsystem integration layer. The building subsystem integration layer118 can translate the normalized setpoint temperature into a commandspecific to the building subsystem or controller for which the setpointadjustment is intended. If multiple subsystems are utilized to completethe same function (e.g., if multiple disparately protocolled HVACsubsystems are provided in different regions of a building), thebuilding subsystem integration layer 118 can convert a command decision(e.g., to lower the temperature setpoint by 2 degrees) to multipledifferent commands for receipt and action by the multiple disparatelyprotocolled HVAC subsystems. In this way, functions of the integratedcontrol layer 116 may be executed using the capabilities of buildingsubsystem integration layer 118. In an exemplary embodiment, theintegrated control layer is configured to conduct the primary monitoringof system and subsystem statuses and interrelationships for thebuilding. Such monitoring can cross the major energy consumingsubsystems of a building to allow for cross-subsystem energy savings tobe achieved (e.g., by the demand response layer 112).

The integrated control layer 116 is shown to be logically below thedemand response layer 112. The integrated control layer 116 isconfigured to enhance the effectiveness of the demand response layer 112by enabling building subsystems 128 and their respective control loopsto be controlled in coordination with the demand response layer 112.This configuration may advantageously provide much less disruptivedemand response behavior than conventional systems. For example, theintegrated control layer 116 may be configured to assure that a demandresponse-driven upward adjustment to the setpoint for chilled watertemperature (or another component that directly or indirectly affectstemperature) does not result in an increase in fan energy (or otherenergy used to cool a space) that would result in greater total buildingenergy use than was saved at the chiller. The integrated control layer116 may also be configured to provide feedback to the demand responselayer 112 so that the demand response layer 112 may check thatconstraints (e.g., temperature, lighting levels, etc.) are properlymaintained even while demanded load shedding is in progress. Theconstraints may also include setpoint or sensed boundaries relating tosafety, equipment operating limits and performance, comfort, fire codes,electrical codes, energy codes, and the like. The integrated controllayer 116 is also logically below the fault detection and diagnosticslayer 114 and the automated measurement and validation layer 110. Theintegrated control layer may be configured to provide calculated inputs(e.g., aggregations) to these “higher levels” based on outputs from morethan one building subsystem.

Control activities that may be completed by the integrated control layer116 (e.g., software modules or control algorithms thereof) includeoccupancy-based control activities. Security systems such as radiofrequency location systems (RFLS), access control systems, and videosurveillance systems can provide detailed occupancy information to theintegrated control layer 116 and other building subsystems 128 via thesmart building manager 106 (and more particularly, via the buildingsubsystem integration layer 118). Integration of an access controlsubsystem and a security subsystem for a building may provide detailedoccupancy data for consumption by the integrated control layer 116(e.g., beyond binary “occupied” or “unoccupied” data available to someconventional HVAC systems that rely on, for example, a motion sensor).For example, the exact number of occupants in the building (or buildingzone, floor, conference room, etc.) may be provided to the integratedcontrol layer 116 or aggregated by the integrated control layer 116using inputs from a plurality of subsystems. The exact number ofoccupants in the building can be used by the integrated control layer116 to determine and command appropriate adjustments for buildingsubsystems 128 (such as HVAC subsystem 140 or lighting subsystem 142).Integrated control layer 116 may be configured to use the number ofoccupants, for example, to determine how many of the available elevatorsto activate in a building. If the building is only 20% occupied, theintegrated control layer 116, for example, may be configured to powerdown 80% of the available elevators for energy savings. Further,occupancy data may be associated with individual workspaces (e.g.,cubicles, offices, desks, workstations, etc.) and if a workspace isdetermined to be unoccupied by the integrated control layer, a controlalgorithm of the integrated control layer 116 may allow for the energyusing devices serving the workspace to be turned off or commanded toenter a low power mode. For example, workspace plug-loads, tasklighting, computers, and even phone circuits may be affected based on adetermination by the integrated control layer that the employeeassociated with the workspace is on vacation (e.g., using data inputsreceived from a human-resources subsystem). Significant electrical loadsmay be shed by the integrated control layer 116, including, for example,heating and humidification loads, cooling and dehumidification loads,ventilation and fan loads, electric lighting and plug loads (e.g. withsecondary thermal loads), electric elevator loads, and the like. Theintegrated control layer 116 may further be configured to integrate anHVAC subsystem or a lighting subsystem with sunlight shading devices orother “smart window” technologies. Natural day-lighting cansignificantly offset lighting loads but for optimal comfort may becontrolled by the integrated control layer to prevent glare orover-lighting. Conversely, shading devices and smart windows may also becontrolled by the integrated control layer 116 to calculably reducesolar heat gains in a building space—which can have a significant impacton cooling loads. Using feedback from sensors in the space, and withknowledge of the HVAC control strategy, the integrated control layer 116may further be configured to control the transmission of infraredradiation into the building, minimizing thermal transmission when theHVAC subsystem is cooling and maximizing thermal transmission when theHVAC subsystem is heating. As a further example of an occupancy-basedcontrol strategy that may be implemented by the integrated control layer116, inputs from a video security subsystem may be analyzed by a controlalgorithm of the integrated control layer 116 to make a determinationregarding occupancy of a building space. Using the determination, thecontrol algorithm may turn off the lights, adjust HVAC set points,power-down ICT devices serving the space, reduce ventilation, and thelike—enabling energy savings with an acceptable loss of comfort tooccupants of the building space.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a detailed diagram of a portion of smartbuilding manager 106 is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. Inparticular, FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed embodiment of integratedcontrol layer 116. Configuration tools 162 can allow a user to define(e.g., via graphical user interfaces, via prompt-driven “wizards”, etc.)how the integrated control layer 116 should react to changing conditionsin the building subsystems 128. In an exemplary embodiment configurationtools 162 allow a user to build and store condition-response scenariosthat can cross multiple building subsystems and multiple enterprisecontrol applications (e.g., work order management system applications,entity resource planning (ERP) applications, etc.).

Building subsystems 128, external sources such as smart grid 104, andinternal layers such as demand response layer 112 can regularly generateevents (e.g., messages, alarms, changed values, etc.) and provide theevents to integrated control layer 116 or another layer configured tohandle the particular event. For example, demand response (DR) events(e.g., a change in real time energy pricing) may be provided to smartbuilding manager 106 as Open Automated Demand Response (“OpenADR”)messages (a protocol developed by Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratories). The DR messages may be received by OpenADR adapter 306(which may be a part of enterprise application layer 108 shown in FIGS.1A and 1B). The OpenADR adapter 306 may be configured to convert theOpenADR message into a DR event configured to be understood (e.g.,parsed, interpreted, processed, etc.) by demand response layer 112. TheDR event may be formatted and transmitted according to or via a servicebus 302 for the smart building manager 106.

Service bus adapter 304 may be configured to “trap” or otherwise receivethe DR event on the service bus 302 and forward the DR event on todemand response layer 112. Service bus adapter 304 may be configured toqueue, mediate, or otherwise manage demand response messages for demandresponse layer 112. Once a DR event is received by demand response layer112, logic thereof can generate a control trigger in response toprocessing the DR event. The integrated control engine 308 of integratedcontrol layer 116 is configured to parse the received control trigger todetermine if a control strategy exists in control strategy database 310that corresponds to the received control trigger. If a control strategyexists, integrated control engine 308 executes the stored controlstrategy for the control trigger. In some cases the output of theintegrated control engine 308 will be an “apply policy” message forbusiness rules engine 312 to process. Business rules engine 312 mayprocess an “apply policy” message by looking up the policy in businessrules database 314. A policy in business rules database 314 may take theform of a set of action commands for sending to building subsystems 128.The set of action commands may include ordering or scripting forconducting the action commands at the correct timing, ordering, or withother particular parameters. When business rules engine 312 processesthe set of action commands, therefore, it can control the ordering,scripting, and other parameters of action commands transmitted to thebuilding subsystems 128.

Action commands may be commands for relatively direct consumption bybuilding subsystems 128, commands for other applications to process, orrelatively abstract cross-subsystem commands. Commands for relativelydirect consumption by building subsystems 128 can be passed throughservice bus adapter 322 to service bus 302 and to a subsystem adapter314 for providing to a building subsystem in a format particular to thebuilding subsystem. Commands for other applications to process mayinclude commands for a user interface application to request feedbackfrom a user, a command to generate a work order via a computerizedmaintenance management system (CMMS) application, a command to generatea change in an ERP application, or other application level commands.

More abstract cross-subsystem commands may be passed to a semanticmediator 316 which performs the task of translating those actions to thespecific commands required by the various building subsystems 128. Forexample, a policy might contain an abstract action to “set lighting zoneX to maximum light.” The semantic mediator 316 may translate this actionto a first command such as “set level to 100% for lighting object O incontroller C” and a second command of “set lights to on in controller Z,zone_id_no 3141593.” In this example both lighting object O incontroller C and zone_id_no 3141593 in controller Z may affect lightingin zone X. Controller C may be a dimming controller for accent lightingwhile controller Z may be a non-dimming controller for the primarylighting in the room. The semantic mediator 316 is configured todetermine the controllers that relate to zone X using ontology database320. Ontology database 320 stores a representation or representations ofrelationships (the ontology) between building spaces and subsystemelements and subsystems elements and concepts of the integrated buildingsupersystem. Using the ontology stored in ontology database 320, thesemantic mediator can also determine that controller C is dimming andrequires a numerical percentage parameter while controller Z is notdimming and requires only an on or off command. Configuration tool 162can allow a user to build the ontology of ontology database 320 byestablishing relationships between subsystems, building spaces,input/output points, or other concepts/objects of the buildingsubsystems and the building space.

Events other than those received via OpenADR adapter 306, demandresponse layer 112, or any other specific event-handing mechanism can betrapped by subsystem adapter 314 (a part of building integrationsubsystem layer 318) and provided to a general event manager 330 viaservice bus 302 and a service bus adapter. By the time an event from abuilding subsystem 128 is received by event manager 330, it may havebeen converted into a unified event (i.e., “common event,” “standardizedevent”, etc.) by subsystem adapter 314 and/or other components ofbuilding subsystem integration layer 318 such as semantic mediator 316.The event manager 330 can utilize an event logic DB to lookup controltriggers, control trigger scripts, or control trigger sequences based onreceived unified events. Event manager 330 can provide control triggersto integrated control engine 308 as described above with respect todemand response layer 112. As events are received they may be archivedin event history 332 by event manager 330. Similarly, demand responselayer 112 can store DR events in DR history 335. One or both of eventmanager 330 and demand response layer 112 may be configured to waituntil multi-event conditions are met (e.g., by processing data inhistory as new events are received). For example, demand response layer112 may include logic that does not act to reduce energy loads until aseries of two sequential energy price increases are received. In anexemplary embodiment event manager 330 may be configured to receive timeevents (e.g., from a calendaring system). Different time events can beassociated with different triggers in event logic database 333.

In an exemplary embodiment the configuration tools 162 can be used tobuild event conditions or trigger conditions in event logic 333 orcontrol strategy database 310. For example, the configuration tools 162can provide the user with the ability to combine data (e.g., fromsubsystems, from event histories) using a variety of conditional logic.In varying exemplary embodiments the conditional logic can range fromsimple logical operators between conditions (e.g., AND, OR, XOR, etc.)to pseudo-code constructs or complex programming language functions(allowing for more complex interactions, conditional statements, loops,etc.). The configuration tools 162 can present user interfaces forbuilding such conditional logic. The user interfaces may allow users todefine policies and responses graphically. In some embodiments the userinterfaces may allow a user to select a pre-stored or pre-constructedpolicy and adapt it or enable it for use with their system.

Referring still to FIG. 3, in some embodiments integrated control layer116 generally and integrated control engine 308 can operate as a“service” that can be used by higher level layers of smart buildingmanager 106, enterprise applications, or subsystem logic whenever apolicy or sequence of actions based on the occurrence of a condition isto be performed. In such embodiments control operations do not need tobe reprogrammed—applications or logic can rely on the integrated controllayer 116 to receive an event and to execute the related subsystemfunctions. For example, demand response layer 112, fault detection anddiagnostics layer 114 (shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B), enterprise integration108, and applications 120, 124 may all utilize a shared control strategy310 and integrated control engine 308 in initiate response sequences toevents.

Fault Detection and Diagnostics Layer

Referring now to FIG. 4, the fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) layer114 is shown in greater detail, according to an exemplary embodiment.Fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) layer 114 is configured to provideon-going fault detection of building subsystems, building subsystemdevices, and control algorithms of the integrated control layer. The FDDlayer 114 may receive its inputs from the integrated control layer,directly from one or more building subsystems or devices, or from thesmart grid. The FDD layer 114 may automatically diagnose and respond todetected faults. The responses to detected or diagnosed faults mayinclude providing an alert message to a user, a maintenance schedulingsystem, or a control algorithm configured to attempt to repair the faultor to work-around the fault. In other exemplary embodiments FDD layer114 is configured to provide “fault” events to integrated control layeras described with reference to FIG. 3 and the integrated control layerof FIG. 3 is configured to execute control strategies and policies inresponse to the received fault events. According to an exemplaryembodiment, the FDD layer 114 (or a policy executed by an integratedcontrol engine or business rules engine) may shut-down systems or directcontrol activities around faulty devices or systems to reduce energywaste, extend equipment life, or assure proper control response. The FDDlayer 114 may be configured to use statistical analysis of nearreal-time and/or historical building subsystem data to rapidly identifyfaults in equipment operation.

As shown in FIG. 4, the FDD layer 114 is configured to store or access avariety of different system data stores (or data points for live data)402-410. FDD layer 114 may use some content of data stores 402-410 toidentify faults at the equipment level (e.g., specific chiller, specificAHU, specific terminal unit, etc.) and other content to identify faultsat component or subsystem levels. The FDD layer 114 may be configured tooutput a specific identification of the faulty component or cause of thefault (e.g., loose damper linkage) using detailed subsystem inputsavailable at the building subsystem integration layer (shown in previousFigures). Such specificity and determinations may be calculated by theFDD layer 114 based on such subsystem inputs and, for example,statistical fault detection module 412. Statistical fault detectionmodule 412 can utilize pattern recognition methods, patternclassification methods, rule-based classification methods, outlieranalysis, statistical quality control charting techniques, or the liketo conduct its statistical analysis. In some embodiments statisticalfault detection module 412 more particularly is configured to calculateor update performance indices 410. Performance indices 410 may becalculated based on exponentially-weighted moving averages (EWMAs) toprovide statistical analysis features which allow outlier andstatistical process control (SPC) techniques to be used to identifyfaults. For example, the FDD layer 114 may be configured to use meterdata 402 outliers to detect when energy consumption becomes abnormal.Statistical fault detection module 412 may also or alternatively beconfigured to analyze the meter data 402 using statistical methods thatprovide for data clustering, outlier analysis, and/or quality controldeterminations. The meter data 402 may be received from, for example, asmart meter, a utility, or calculated based on the building-use dataavailable to the smart building manager.

Once a fault is detected by the FDD layer 114 (e.g., by statisticalfault detection module 412), the FDD layer 114 may be configured togenerate one or more alarms or events to prompt manual fault diagnosticsor to initiate an automatic fault diagnostics activity via automateddiagnostics module 414. Automatic fault diagnostics module 414 may beconfigured to use meter data 402, weather data 404, model data 406(e.g., performance models based on historical building equipmentperformance), building subsystem data 408, performance indices 410, orother data available at the building subsystem integration layer tocomplete its fault diagnostics activities.

In an exemplary embodiment, when a fault is detected, the automateddiagnostics module 414 is configured to investigate the fault byinitiating expanded data logging and error detection/diagnosticsactivities relative to the inputs, outputs, and systems related to thefault. For example, the automated diagnostics module 414 may beconfigured to poll sensors associated with an air handling unit (AHU)(e.g., temperature sensors for the space served by the AHU, air flowsensors, position sensors, etc.) on a frequent or more synchronizedbasis to better diagnose the source of a detected AHU fault.

Automated fault diagnostics module 414 may further be configured tocompute residuals (differences between measured and expected values) foranalysis to determine the fault source. For example, automated faultdiagnostics module 414 may be configured to implement processingcircuits or methods described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/487,594, filed Jun. 18, 2009, titled “Systems and Methods for FaultDetection of Air Handling Units,” the entirety of which is incorporatedherein by reference. Automated fault diagnostics module 414 can use afinite state machine and input from system sensors (e.g., temperaturesensors, air mass sensors, etc.) to diagnose faults. State transitionfrequency (e.g., between a heating state, a free cooling state, and amechanical cooling state) may also be used by the statistical faultdetection module 412 and/or the automated diagnostics module 414 toidentify and diagnose unstable control issues. The FDD layer 114 mayalso or alternatively be configured for rule-based predictive detectionand diagnostics (e.g., to determine rule thresholds, to provide forcontinuous monitoring and diagnostics of building equipment).

In addition to or as an alternative to an automated diagnostics processprovided by automated diagnostics module 414, FDD layer 114 can drive auser through a manual diagnostic process using manual diagnostics module416. One or both of automated diagnostics module 414 and manualdiagnostics module 416 can store data regarding the fault and thediagnosis thereof for further assessment by manual and/or automatedfault assessment engine 418. Any manually driven process of assessmentengine 418 can utilize graphical or textual user interfaces displayed toa user to receive feedback or input from a user. In some embodimentsassessment engine 418 will provide a number of possible reasons for afault to the user via a GUI. The user may select one of the faults formanual investigation or calculation. Similarly, an automated process ofassessment engine 418 may be configured to select the most probablecause for a fault based on diagnostics provided by modules 414 or 416.Once a cause is detected or estimated using assessment engine 418, awork order can be generated by work order generation and dispatchservice 420. Work order generation and dispatch service can transmit thework order to a service management system and/or a work dispatch service420 for action.

Further, data and processing results from modules 412, 414, 416, 418 orother data stored or modules of a fault detection and diagnostics layercan be provided to the enterprise integration layer shown in FIGS. 1Aand 1B. Monitoring and reporting applications 120 can then access thedata or be pushed the data so that real time “system health” dashboardscan be viewed and navigated by a user (e.g., a building engineer). Forexample, monitoring and reporting applications 120 may include aweb-based monitoring application that includes several graphical userinterface (GUI) elements (e.g., widgets, dashboard controls, windows,etc.) for displaying key performance indicators (KPI) or otherinformation to users of a GUI using FDD layer 114 information oranalyses. In addition, the GUI elements may summarize relative energyuse and intensity across different buildings (real or modeled),different campuses, or the like. Other GUI elements or reports may begenerated and shown based on available data that allow facility managersto assess performance across a group of buildings from one screen. Theuser interface or report (or underlying data engine) may be configuredto aggregate and categorize faults by building, building type, equipmenttype, fault type, times of occurrence, frequency of occurrence,severity, and the like. The GUI elements may include charts orhistograms that allow the user to visually analyze the magnitude ofoccurrence of specific faults or equipment for a building, time frame,or other grouping. A “time series” pane of the GUI may allow users todiagnose a fault remotely by analyzing and comparing intervaltime-series data, trends, and patterns for various input/output pointstracked/logged by the FDD layer 114. The FDD layer 114 may include oneor more GUI servers or services 422 (e.g., a web service) to supportsuch applications. Further, in some embodiments applications and GUIengines may be included outside of the FDD layer 114 (e.g., monitoringand reporting applications 120 shown in FIG. 1A, web services 158 shownin FIG. 1B, GUI engine 160 shown in FIG. 1B). The FDD layer 114 may beconfigured to maintain detailed historical databases (e.g., relationaldatabases, XML databases, etc.) of relevant data and includes computercode modules that continuously, frequently, or infrequently query,aggregate, transform, search, or otherwise process the data maintainedin the detailed databases. The FDD layer 114 may be configured toprovide the results of any such processing to other databases, tables,XML, files, or other data structures for further querying, calculation,or access by, for example, external monitoring and reportingapplications.

In an exemplary embodiment the automated diagnostics module 414automatically prioritizes detected faults. The prioritization may beconducted based on customer-defined criteria. The prioritization may beused by the manual or automated fault assessment module 418 to determinewhich faults to communicate to a human user via a dashboard or otherGUI. Further, the prioritization can be used by the work order dispatchservice to determine which faults are worthy of immediate investigationor which faults should be investigated during regular servicing ratherthan a special work request. The FDD layer 114 may be configured todetermine the prioritization based on the expected financial impact ofthe fault. The fault assessment module 418 may retrieve faultinformation and compare the fault information to historical information.Using the comparison, the fault assessment module 418 may determine anincreased energy consumption and use pricing information from the smartgrid to calculate the cost over time (e.g., cost per day). Each fault inthe system may be ranked according to cost or lost energy. The faultassessment module 418 may be configured to generate a report forsupporting operational decisions and capital requests. The report mayinclude the cost of allowing faults to persist, energy wasted due to thefault, potential cost to fix the fault (e.g., based on a serviceschedule), or other overall metrics such as overall subsystem orbuilding reliability (e.g., compared to a benchmark). The faultassessment module 418 may further be configured to conduct equipmenthierarchy-based suppression of faults (e.g., suppressed relative to auser interface, suppressed relative to further diagnostics, etc.). Forsuch suppression, module 418 may use the hierarchical informationavailable at, e.g., integrated control layer 116 or building subsystemintegration layer 318 shown in FIG. 3. For example, module 418 mayutilize building subsystem hierarchy information stored in ontologydatabase 320 to suppress lower level faults in favor of a higher levelfault (suppress faults for a particular temperature sensor and airhandling unit in favor of a fault that communicates “Inspect HVACComponents Serving Conference Room 30”).

FDD layer 114 may also receive inputs from lower level FDD processes.For example, FDD layer 114 may receive inputs from building subsystemsupervisory controllers or field controllers having FDD features. In anexemplary embodiment FDD layer 114 may receive “FDD events,” process thereceived FDD events, query the building subsystems for furtherinformation, or otherwise use the FDD events in an overall FDD scheme(e.g., prioritization and reporting). U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,544 (titled“INTEGRATED CONTROL AND FAULT DETECTION OF HVAC EQUIPMENT,” issued May1, 2001)(incorporated herein by reference) and U.S. Pub. No.2009/0083583 (titled “FAULT DETECTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS FORSELF-OPTIMIZING HEATING, VENTILATION, AND AIR CONDITIONING CONTROLS”,filed Nov. 25, 2008, published Mar. 26, 2009)(incorporated herein byreference) may be referred to as examples of FDD systems and methodsthat may be implemented by FDD layer 114 (and/or lower level FDDprocesses for providing information to FDD layer 114).

Demand Response Layer

FIGS. 1A and 1B are further shown to include a demand response (DR)layer 112. The DR layer 112 is configured to optimize electrical demandin response to time-of-use prices, curtailment signals, or energyavailability. Data regarding time-of-use prices, energy availability,and curtailment signals may be received from the smart grid 104, fromenergy providers and purchasers 102 (e.g., an energy aggregator) via thesmart grid 104, from energy providers and purchasers 102 via acommunication network apart from the smart grid, from distributed energygeneration systems 122, from energy storage banks 126, or from othersources. According to an exemplary embodiment, the DR layer 112 includescontrol logic for responding to the data and signals it receives. Theseresponses can include communicating with the control algorithms in theintegrated control layer 116 to “load shed,” changing controlstrategies, changing setpoints, or shutting down building devices orsubsystems in a controlled manner. The architecture and process forsupporting DR events is shown in and described with reference to FIG. 3.The DR layer 112 may also include control logic configured to determinewhen to utilize stored energy based on information from the smart gridand information from a local or remote energy storage system. Forexample, when the DR layer 112 receives a message indicating risingenergy prices during a future “peak use” hour, the DR layer 112 candecide to begin using power from the energy storage system just prior tothe beginning of the “peak use” hour.

In some exemplary embodiments the DR layer 112 may include a controlmodule configured to actively initiate control actions (e.g.,automatically changing setpoints) which minimize energy costs based onone or more inputs representative of or based on demand (e.g., price, acurtailment signal, a demand level, etc.). The DR layer 112 may furtherinclude or draw upon one or more DR policy definitions (e.g., databases,XML files, etc.). The policy definitions may be edited or adjusted by auser (e.g., via a graphical user interface) so that the control actionsinitiated in response to demand inputs may be tailored for the user'sapplication, desired comfort level, particular building equipment, orbased on other concerns. For example, the DR policy definitions canspecify which equipment may be turned on or off in response toparticular demand inputs, how long a system or piece of equipment shouldbe turned off, what setpoints can be changed, what the allowable setpoint adjustment range is, how long to hold a “high demand” setpointbefore returning to a normally scheduled setpoint, how close to approachcapacity limits, which equipment modes to utilize, the energy transferrates (e.g., the maximum rate, an alarm rate, other rate boundaryinformation, etc.) into and out of energy storage devices (e.g., thermalstorage tanks, battery banks, etc.), and when to dispatch on-sitegeneration of energy (e.g., via fuel cells, a motor generator set,etc.). One or more of the policies and control activities may be locatedwithin control strategy database 310 or business rules database 314.Further, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, some of the DRresponses to events may be processed and completed by integrated controllayer 116 with or without further inputs or processing by DR layer 112.

A plurality of market-based DR inputs and reliability based DR inputsmay be configured (e.g., via the DR policy definitions or other systemconfiguration mechanisms) for use by the DR layer 112. The smartbuilding manager 106 may be configured (e.g., self-configured, manuallyconfigured, configured via DR policy definitions, etc.) to select,deselect or differently weigh varying inputs in the DR layer'scalculation or execution of control strategies based on the inputs. DRlayer 112 may automatically (and/or via the user configuration)calculate outputs or control strategies based on a balance of minimizingenergy cost and maximizing comfort. Such balance may be adjusted (e.g.,graphically, via rule sliders, etc.) by users of the smart buildingmanager via a configuration utility or administration GUI.

The DR layer 112 may be configured to receive inputs from other layers(e.g., the building subsystem integration layer, the integrated controllayer, etc.). The inputs received from other layers may includeenvironmental or sensor inputs such as temperature, carbon dioxidelevels, relative humidity levels, air quality sensor outputs, occupancysensor outputs, room schedules, and the like. The inputs may alsoinclude inputs such as electrical use (e.g., expressed in kWh), thermalload measurements, pricing information, projected pricing, smoothedpricing, curtailment signals from utilities, and the like from insidethe system, from the smart grid 104, or from other remote sources.

Some embodiments of the DR layer 112 may utilize industry standard“open” protocols or emerging National Institute of Standards andTechnology (NIST) standards to receive real-time pricing (RTP) orcurtailment signals from utilities or power retailers. In otherembodiments, proprietary protocols or other standards may be utilized.As mentioned above, in some exemplary embodiments, the DR layer 112 isconfigured to use the OpenADR protocol to receive curtailment signals orRTP data from utilities, other independent system operators (ISOs), orother smart grid sources. The DR layer 112, or another layer (e.g., theenterprise integration layer) that serves the DR layer 112 may beconfigured to use one or more security schemes or standards such as theOrganization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards(OASIS) Web Service Security Standards to provide for securecommunications to/from the DR layer 112 and the smart grid 104 (e.g., autility company's data communications network). If the utility does notuse a standard protocol (e.g., the OpenADR protocol), the DR layer 112,the enterprise integration layer 108, or the building subsystemintegration layer 118 may be configured to translate the utility'sprotocol into a format for use by the utility. The DR layer 112 may beconfigured to bi-directionally communicate with the smart grid 104 orenergy providers and purchasers 102 (e.g., a utility, an energyretailer, a group of utilities, an energy broker, etc.) to exchangeprice information, demand information, curtailable load calculations(e.g., the amount of load calculated by the DR layer to be able to beshed without exceeding parameters defined by the system or user), loadprofile forecasts, and the like. DR layer 112 or an enterpriseapplication 120, 124 in communication with the DR layer 112 may beconfigured to continuously monitor pricing data provided byutilities/ISOs across the nation, to parse the useful information fromthe monitored data, and to display the useful information to a user toor send the information to other systems or layers (e.g., integratedcontrol layer 116).

The DR layer 112 may be configured to include one or more adjustablecontrol algorithms in addition to or as an alternative from allowing theuser creation of DR profiles. For example, one or more controlalgorithms may be automatically adjusted by the DR layer 112 usingdynamic programming or model predictive control modules. In oneembodiment business rules engine 312 is configured to respond to a DRevent by adjusting a control algorithm or selecting a different controlalgorithm to use (e.g., for a lighting system, for an HVAC system, for acombination of multiple building subsystems, etc.).

The smart building manager 106 (e.g., using the demand response layer112) can be configured to automatically (or with the help of a user)manage energy spend. The smart building manager 106 (with input from theuser or operating using pre-configured business rules shown in FIG. 3)may be configured to accept time-of-use pricing signals or informationfrom a smart grid (e.g., an energy provider, a smart meter, etc.) and,using its knowledge of historical building system data, controlalgorithms, calendar information, and/or weather information receivedfrom a remote source, may be configured to conduct automatic costforecasting. The smart building manager 106 (e.g., the demand responselayer 112) may automatically (or with user approval) take specific loadshedding actions or control algorithm changes in response to differentcost forecasts.

The smart building manager 106 may also be configured to monitor andcontrol energy storage systems 126 (e.g., thermal, electrical, etc.) anddistributed generation systems 122 (e.g., a solar array for thebuilding, etc.). The smart building manager 106 or DR layer 112 may alsobe configured to model utility rates to make decisions for the system.All of the aforementioned processing activities or inputs may be used bythe smart building manager 106 (and more particularly, a demand responselayer 112 thereof) to limit, cap, profit-from, or otherwise manage thebuilding or campus's energy spend. For example, using time-of-usepricing information for an upcoming hour that indicates an unusuallyhigh price per kilowatt hour, the system may use its control of aplurality of building systems to limit cost without too drasticallyimpacting occupant comfort. To make such a decision and to conduct suchactivity, the smart building manager 106 may use data such as arelatively high load forecast for a building and information that energystorage levels or distributed energy levels are low. The smart buildingmanager 106 may accordingly adjust or select a control strategy toreduce ventilation levels provided to unoccupied areas, reduce serverload, raise a cooling setpoint throughout the building, reserve storedpower for use during the expensive period of time, dim lights inoccupied areas, turn off lights in unoccupied areas, and the like.

The smart building manager 106 may provide yet other services to improvebuilding or grid performance. For example, the smart building manager106 may provide for expanded user-driven load control (allowing abuilding manager to shed loads at a high level of system/devicegranularity). The smart building manager 106 may also monitor andcontrol power switching equipment to route power to/from the mostefficient sources or destinations. The smart building manager 106 maycommunicate to the power switching equipment within the building orcampus to conduct “smart” voltage regulation. For example, in the eventof a brownout, the smart building manager 106 may prioritize branches ofa building's internal power grid—tightly regulating and ensuring voltageto high priority equipment (e.g., communications equipment, data centerequipment, cooling equipment for a clean room or chemical factory, etc.)while allowing voltage to lower priority equipment to dip or be cut offby the smart grid (e.g., the power provider). The smart building manager106 or the DR layer 112 may plan these activities or proactively beginload shedding based on grid services capacity forecasting conducted by asource on the smart grid or by a local algorithm (e.g., an algorithm ofthe demand response layer). The smart building manager 106 or the DRlayer 112 may further include control logic for purchasing energy,selling energy, or otherwise participating in a real-time or nearreal-time energy market or auction. For example, if energy is predictedto be expensive during a time when the DR layer 112 determines it canshed extra load or perhaps even enter a net-positive energy state usingenergy generated by solar arrays, or other energy sources of thebuilding or campus, the DR layer 112 may offer units of energy duringthat period for sale back to the smart grid (e.g., directly to theutility, to another purchaser, in exchange for carbon credits, etc.).

In some exemplary embodiments, the DR layer 112 may also be configuredto support a “Grid Aware” plug-in hybrid electric vehicle(PHEV)/electric vehicle charging system instead of (or in addition to)having the charging system in the vehicles be grid-aware. For example,in buildings that have vehicle charging stations (e.g., terminals in aparking lot for charging an electric or hybrid vehicle), the DR layer112 can decide when to charge the vehicles (e.g., when to enable thecharging stations, when to switch a relay providing power to thecharging stations, etc.) based upon time, real time pricing (RTP)information from the smart grid, or other pricing, demand, orcurtailment information from the smart grid. In other embodiments, eachvehicle owner could set a policy that is communicated to the chargingstation and back to the DR layer 112 via wired or wirelesscommunications that the DR layer 112 could be instructed to follow. Thepolicy information could be provided to the DR layer 112 via anenterprise application 124, a vehicle information system, or a personalportal (e.g., a web site vehicle owner's are able to access to input,for example, at what price they would like to enable charging). The DRlayer 112 could then activate the PHEV charging station based upon thatpolicy unless a curtailment event is expected (or occurs) or unless theDR layer 112 otherwise determines that charging should not occur (e.g.,decides that electrical storage should be conducted instead to help withupcoming anticipated peak demand). When such a decision is made, the DRlayer 112 may pre-charge the vehicle or suspend charge to the vehicle(e.g., via a data command to the charging station). Vehicle charging maybe restricted or turned off by the smart building manager during periodsof high energy use or expensive energy. Further, during such periods,the smart building manager 106 or the DR layer 112 may be configured tocause energy to be drawn from plugged-in connected vehicles tosupplement or to provide back-up power to grid energy.

Using the real time (or near real-time) detailed information regardingenergy use in the building, the smart building manager 106 may maintaina greenhouse gas inventory, forecast renewable energy use, surpluses,deficits, and generation, and facilitate emission allocation, emissiontrading, and the like. Due to the detailed and real-time or nearreal-time nature of such calculations, the smart building manager 106may include or be coupled to a micro-transaction emission tradingplatform.

The DR layer 112 may further be configured to facilitate the storage ofon-site electrical or thermal storage and to controllably shiftelectrical loads from peak to off peak times using the stored electricalor thermal storage. The DR layer 112 may be configured to significantlyshed loads during peak hours if, for example, high price or contractedcurtailment signals are received, using the stored electrical or thermalstorage and without significantly affecting building operation orcomfort. The integrated control layer 116 may be configured to use abuilding pre-cooling algorithm in the night or morning and rely oncalculated thermal storage characteristics for the building in order toreduce peak demand for cooling. Further, the integrated control layer116 may be configured to use inputs such as utility rates, type ofcooling equipment, occupancy schedule, building construction, climateconditions, upcoming weather events, and the like to make controldecisions (e.g., the extent to which to pre-cool, etc.).

Automated Measurement & Verification Layer

FIGS. 1A and 1B are further shown to include an automated measurementand validation layer 110 configured to evaluate building system (andsubsystem) performance. The automated measurement and validation (AM&V)layer 110 may implement various methods or standards of theinternational performance measurement and validation (IPMVP) protocol.In an exemplary embodiment, the AM&V layer 110 is configured toautomatically (e.g., using data aggregated by the AM&V layer 110,integrated control layer 116, building subsystem integration layer 118,FDD layer 114, or otherwise) verify the impact of the integrated controllayer 116, the FDD layer 114, the DR layer 112, or other energy-savingstrategies of the smart building manager 106. For example, the AM&Vlayer 110 may be used to validate energy savings obtained by capitalintensive retrofit projects that are monitored or managed post retrofitby the smart building manager. The AM&V layer 110 may be configured tocalculate, for example, a return on investment date, the money savedusing pricing information available from utilities, and the like. TheAM&V layer 110 may allow for user selection of the validation method(s)it uses. For example, the AM&V layer 110 may allow for the user toselect IPMVP Option C which specifies a method for the direct comparisonof monthly or daily energy use from a baseline model to actual data fromthe post-installation measurement period. IPMVP Option C, for example,may specify for adjustments to be made of the base-year energy modelanalysis to account for current year over base year changes inenergy-governing factors such as weather, metering period, occupancy, orproduction volumes. The AM&V layer 110 may be configured to track (e.g.,using received communications) the inputs for use by such a validationmethod at regular intervals and may be configured to make adjustments toan “adjusted baseline energy use” model against which to measuresavings. The AM&V layer 110 may further allow for manual or automaticnon-routine adjustments of factors such as changes to the facility size,building envelope, or major equipment. Algorithms according to IPMVPOption B or Option A may also or alternatively be used or included withthe AM&V layer 110. IPMVP Option B and IPMVP Option A involve measuringor calculating energy use of a system in isolation before and after itis retrofitted. Using the building subsystem integration layer (or otherlayers of the BMS), relevant data may be stored and the AM&V layer 110may be configured to track the parameters specified by IPMVP Option B orA for the computation of energy savings for a system in isolation (e.g.,flow rates, temperatures, power for a chiller, etc.).

The AM&V layer 110 may further be configured to verify that controlstrategies commanded by, for example, the integrated control layer orthe DR layer are working properly. Further, the AM&V layer 110 may beconfigured to verify that a building has fulfilled curtailment contractobligations. The AM&V layer 110 may further be configured as anindependent verification source for the energy supply company (utility).One concern of the utility is that a conventional smart meter may becompromised to report less energy (or energy consumed at the wrongtime). The AM&V layer 110 can be used to audit smart meter data (orother data used by the utility) by measuring energy consumption directlyfrom the building subsystems or knowledge of building subsystem usageand comparing the measurement or knowledge to the metered consumptiondata. If there is a discrepancy, the AM&V layer may be configured toreport the discrepancy directly to the utility. Because the AM&V layermay be continuously operational and automated (e.g., not based on amonthly or quarterly calculation), the AM&V layer may be configured toprovide verification of impact (e.g., of demand signals) on a granularscale (e.g., hourly, daily, weekly, etc.). For example, the AM&V layermay be configured to support the validation of very short curtailmentcontracts (e.g., drop X kW/h over 20 minutes starting at 2:00 pm) actedupon by the DR layer 112. The DR layer 112 may track meter data tocreate a subhourly baseline model against which to measure loadreductions. The model may be based on average load during a period ofhours prior to the curtailment event, during the five prior uncontrolleddays, or as specified by other contract requirements from a utility orcurtailment service provider (e.g., broker). The calculations made bythe AM&V layer 110 may be based on building system energy models and maybe driven by a combination of stipulated and measured input parametersto estimate, calculate, apportion, and/or plan for load reductionsresulting from the DR control activities.

The AM&V layer 110 may yet further be configured to calculate energysavings and peak demand reductions in accordance with standards,protocols, or best practices for enterprise accounting and reporting ongreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. An application may access data providedor calculated by the AM&V layer 110 to provide for web-based graphicaluser interfaces or reports. The data underlying the GUIs or reports maybe checked by the AM&V layer 110 according to, for example, the GHGProtocol Corporate Accounting Standard and the GHG Protocol for ProjectAccounting. The AM&V layer 110 preferably consolidates data from all thepotential sources of GHG emissions at a building or campus andcalculates carbon credits, energy savings in dollars (or any othercurrency or unit of measure), makes adjustments to the calculations oroutputs based on any numbers of standards or methods, and createsdetailed accountings or inventories of GHG emissions or emissionreductions for each building. Such calculations and outputs may allowthe AM&V layer 110 to communicate with electronic trading platforms,contract partners, or other third parties in real time or near real timeto facilitate, for example, carbon offset trading and the like.

The AM&V Layer 110 may be further configured to become a “smart electricmeter” a or substitute for conventional electric meters. One reason theadoption rate of the “Smart Electric Grid” has conventionally been lowis that the entire stock of installed electric meters needs to bereplaced so that the meters will support Real Time Pricing (RTP) ofenergy and other data communications features. The AM&V layer 110 cancollect interval-based electric meter data and store the data within thesystem. The AM&V layer 110 can also communicate with the utility toretrieve or otherwise receive Real Time Pricing (RTP) signals or otherpricing information and associate the prices with the meter data. Theutility can query this information from the smart building manager(e.g., the AM&V layer 110, the DR layer 112) at the end of a billingperiod and charge the customer using a RTP tariff or another mechanism.In this manner, the AM&V layer 110 can be used as a “Smart ElectricMeter”.

When the AM&V layer 110 is used in conjunction with the DR layer 112,building subsystem integration layer 118, and enterprise integrationlayer 108, the smart building manager 106 can be configured as an energyservice portal (ESP). As an ESP, the smart building manager 106 maycommunicably or functionally connect the smart grid (e.g., energy supplycompany, utility, ISO, broker, etc.) network to the metering and energymanagement devices in a building (e.g., devices built into appliancessuch as dishwashers or other “smart” appliances). In other words, thesmart building manager 106 may be configured to route messages to andfrom other data-aware (e.g., Real Time Pricing (RTP) aware, curtailmentsignal aware, pricing aware, etc.) devices and the energy supplycompany. In this configuration, building subsystems that are not RTPaware will be managed by the DR layer 112 while devices that are RTPaware can get signals directly from the utility. For example, if avehicle (e.g., PHEV) is programmed to charge only when the price ofelectricity is below $0.1/kWh, the PHEV can query the utility throughthe smart building manager and charge independently from the DR layer112.

In an exemplary embodiment the AM&V layer described in U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/302,854, filed Feb. 9, 2010 can be used as AM&V layer110 or a part thereof.

Enterprise Integration Layer

The enterprise integration layer 108 shown in FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B isconfigured to serve clients or local applications with information andservices to support a variety of enterprise-level applications. Theenterprise integration layer 108 may be configured to communicate (inreal time or near real time) with the smart grid 104 and/or energyproviders and purchasers 102. More particularly, in some embodiments theenterprise integration layer 108 may communicate with “smart meters,”automated meter interfaces with utilities, carbon emission tracking andaccounting systems, energy reporting systems, a building occupantinterface, and traditional enterprise productivity applications (e.g.,maintenance management systems, financial systems, workplace and supplychain management systems, etc.). The enterprise integration layer 108may be configured to use protocols and methods as described above withrespect to other layers or otherwise.

Building Occupant Interface

As indicated above, the enterprise integration layer 108 shown in FIG.1B may be configured to exchange information with a building occupantinterface application. In other exemplary embodiments the enterpriseintegration layer 108 serves the building occupant interface applicationto clients connecting to the enterprise integration layer 108, webservices 158, and/or GUI engine 160. In yet other embodiments webservices 158 may utilize GUI engine 160 for graphics rendering resourcesand enterprise integration layer 108 for data relating to the buildingoccupant interface in order to provide the building occupant interfaceto client applications.

Exemplary graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for the building occupantinterface (i.e., tenant energy portal) are shown in FIGS. 5A-5D. In anexemplary embodiment the tenant energy management portal is a web-baseduser interface that allows a tenant of a participating building to viewtheir energy usage information apart from or in comparison to othertenants in the building. The tenant energy management portal may beconfigured to utilize services of integrated control layer 116 and/orbuilding subsystem integration layer 318 shown in FIG. 3 to relateparticular portions of the building, portions of building subsystems, orparticular systems and devices of the building to particular tenants.For example, a relationship stored in ontology database 320 shown inFIG. 3 may include a “serves” relationship. Those devices that serve aparticular building space are related (i.e., in a relationaldatabase)(e.g., Lighting Controller Y “serves” Floor B). A furtherrelationship may relate each of the building spaces to particulartenants (e.g., Floor B “belongs_to” Tenant A). Accordingly, historicalenergy usage information relating to particular building spaces ordevices can be queried per building tenant and aggregated, averaged, orotherwise computed using services of integrated control layer 116 and/orbuilding subsystem integration layer 318. These aggregations orcomputations may be reported to a user via GUIs 5A-5D (e.g., graphicsconstructed by GUI engine 160 and/or web services 158). For example, insome of the GUIs of FIGS. 5A-5D, the tenant energy portal 500 isconfigured to provide graphs or tabulations of current energyconsumption in kilowatts. FIG. 5C is an example of building history datathat may be viewed for a portion of a week using the “Building History”tab near the top of the GUI. The tenant energy portal 500 may further beconfigured to provide associated metrics derived from other dataavailable to, e.g., integrated control 116 or building subsystemintegration layer 118. For example, metrics such as kW/ft{circumflexover ( )}2, kW/planned occupants, and kW/counted occupants may becalculated and shown to the user via the GUIs. As illustrated in FIG.5B, historical consumption for the tenant viewing the portal may becompared to other tenants in the building. Such a view may allow atenant to identify possible new energy-saving policies (e.g., forautomated enforcement via integrated control layer 116 or for humancommunication—“please remember to turn lights off as you leave youroffice”). As illustrated in FIG. 5D, building space information such asarea, occupants, and man-hours associated with tenants may be shown inaddition to energy usage information. The tenant is then able to viewconsumption relative to other tenants of similar size or use. Otherbuilding space metadata may also be shown via the GUIs. For example,tenant type (e.g., law firm, banking, accounting, call center, datacenter, standard industry code (SIC) types, etc.) and tenant location(e.g., top ⅓ of the building, lower ⅓ of the building) may be shown tothe user. Users can use a configuration tool or a menu structure tobuild custom reports tailored to their individual interests. In otherembodiments, logic of the tenant energy portal may be configured toselect default views for consumption by a tenant. For example, if thetenant is a law firm, the GUI may, by default, provide the user with acomparison of its energy consumption in comparison to other law firms inthe building.

In one exemplary embodiment, tenant energy portal 500 is configured toprovide a data sharing mechanism (e.g., a forum, a blog, a “social”networking-type component, etc.). Access to such a mechanism may beobtained by clicking on, for example, “blog” tab 502. Using such amechanism the tenant can share, comment on, and discuss energyinformation with other tenants in the building. By allowing tenants toview, manipulate and share their energy data, microeconomic trends maybegin to take place—driving down energy usage for the tenants and forthe building as a whole. Further, the “social” networking aspect of thedata sharing mechanism may encourage participation of and between alltenants in the building. To further encourage such use, the tenantenergy management portal may be configured to restrict access to tenantcomparisons (or detailed tenant comparisons) unless a tenant is willingto enable sharing of their data. Via a blog or forum feature, tenantscan ask questions about their energy usage, bill statements, or energyefficiency measures. The building owner (e.g., a building manager forthe owner) may monitor the tenant blogs for common issues or to assistwith energy reduction initiatives that the tenant may want to implement.In some embodiments, the tenant energy portal 500 can provide privacy,security, confidentiality, anonymity, or other features for each tenant.Accordingly, each tenant may be provided with security settings.

In an exemplary embodiment access to and supervisory control of thetenant energy portal 500 is controlled by a “building owner”configuration tool. The building owner, using the building ownerconfiguration tool, can define and provide user accounts to his or hertenants. The tenants can then log-in to the system and begin using thetenant energy portal 500. In an exemplary embodiment, after logging intothe tenant energy management portal 500, the tenant is shown apersonalized main page (FIG. 5B). This main page may include thetenant's real-time energy consumption in a “current electricalconsumption” pane 504. As shown in FIG. 5B, current kW/person,kW/sq·ft., and kW/man-hr may also be displayed. The main page mayinclude a tab (e.g., tab 506 or tab 508) that allows the tenant tocustomize the main page with various modules (e.g., current electricalconsumption module 504, historical electrical consumption module 510).Modules 504, 510 may be rearranged on a screen, resized, reconfigured,changed for different modules, or otherwise adjusted by a user. In oneexample of an alternative module to those shown in FIG. 5B, FIG. 5Aillustrates a ranking-style comparison of tenant specific energyconsumption relative to all other tenants in the building for the week.The energy comparison of FIG. 5A may be triggered by a user clicking onthe “Energy Comparison” tab. Drop down boxes 512 allow a user to changethe tenant groupings and time frames for the comparison. In an exemplaryembodiment a view created by a user may be saved once updated (e.g., viasave button 514) or printed (e.g., via print button 516). Once a view issaved, it can be selected as a module, set as the default view for atenant, or otherwise recalled or reused. Historical usage details (shownin FIG. 5D) allow the tenant to view its past energy usage. This viewsupports custom date ranges and can display data in either tabular orgraphical format (e.g., a graphical format for historical consumption isshown in module 510). The data can be exported (e.g., to a flat file, toa structured database, saved as a graphic, saved as a screen shot of atenant view, etc.) so that the tenant may perform custom analysis oftheir energy data (e.g., using a spreadsheet program). In an exemplaryembodiment, the tenant can view the following metrics per definedperiod: usage in kWh or another unit; utility bill for the period in USDor another unit; cost per square foot (or other units); the averagenumber of occupants during the period; the kWh per occupant during theperiod; and the kWh per square foot. In an exemplary embodiment, tenantenergy portal 500 may be configured to “rank” tenants by energyefficiency and provide each tenant with its rank as well as one or moretips for improving energy efficiency. Such rankings and comparisons areintended to provide a “race” to energy efficiency among buildingtenants. In large buildings, such races may have very significantimpacts on energy efficiency and energy savings.

Communication and Security Features

Referring again to FIG. 3, the smart building manager may be configuredto provide drivers for BACnet, LON, N2, Modbus, OPC, OBIX, MIG, SMTP,XML, Web services, and various other wireless communications protocolsincluding Zigbee. These drivers may be implemented within or used by theservice bus adapters or subsystem adapters. The service bus for thesmart building manager may be configured to communicate using any numberof smart grid communications standards. Such standards may be utilizedfor intra-manager communication as well as communication with a smartgrid component (e.g., utility company, smart meter, etc.). For example,the smart building manager may be configured to use the ANSIC12.22/C12.19 protocol for some internal communications (e.g., DRevents) as well as for communications with the smart grid. The servicebus adapters and subsystem adapters convert received messages into anormalized messaging format for use on the service bus. In an exemplaryembodiment the service bus is flexible, making use of IT-centric messagequeuing technologies (e.g., Open AMQ, MSMQ, and Web Sphere MQ) to assurereliability, security, scalability, and performance. Service busadapters enable layers and applications to communicate among one anotherand/or to the various in-building or external systems (e.g., viasubsystem adapters). Stored communications rules may be used by theservice bus adapters, subsystem adapters, or other components of thesystem to catch or correct communications failures. Communications andaction-failure rules may also be configured for use by the action layersof the system. For example, the DR layer can check for whether an actionrequested or commanded by the DR layer has completed. If not, the DRlayer can take a different action or a corrective action (e.g., turn offan alternate load, adjust additional setpoints, trigger a focused FDDactivity, etc.) to ensure that DR needs are met. The smart buildingmanager can also determine if someone has provided a DR override commandto the system and take corrective action if available. If correctiveaction is unavailable, an appropriate message or warning may be sent toa DR partner (e.g., a utility co., an energy purchaser via the smartgrid, etc.).

The smart building manager 106 may reside on (e.g., be connected to) anIP Ethernet network utilizing standard network infrastructure protocolsand applications (e.g., DNS, DHCP, SNTP, SNMP, Active Directory, etc.)and can also be secured using IT security best practices for thosestandard network infrastructure protocols and applications. For example,in some embodiments the smart building manager may include or beinstalled “behind” infrastructure software or hardware such as firewallsor switches. Further, configurations in the smart building manager 106can be used by the system to adjust the level of security of the smartbuilding manager 106. For example, the smart building manager 106 (orparticular components thereof) can be configured to allow its middlelayers or other components to communicate only with each other, tocommunicate with a LAN, WAN, or Internet, to communicate with selectdevices having a building service, or to restrict communications withany of the above mentioned layers, components, data sources, networks,or devices. The smart building manager 106 may be configured to supporta tiered network architecture approach to communications which mayprovide for some measure of security. Outward facing components areplaced in a less secure “tier” of the network to act as a point of entryto/from the smart building manager 106. These outward facing componentsare minimized (e.g., a web server receives and handles all requests fromclient applications) which limits the number of ways the system can beaccessed and provides an indirect communications route between externaldevices, applications, and networks and the internal layers or modulesof the smart building manager 106. For example, “behind” the outwardfacing “first tier” may lie a more secure tier of the network thatrequires for authentication and authorization to occur at the first tierbefore functions of the more secure tier are accessed. The smartbuilding manager 106 may be configured to include firewalls between suchtiers or to define such tiers to protect databases or core components ofthe system from direct unauthorized access from outside networks.

In addition to including or implementing “infrastructure” type securitymeasures as the type disclosed above, the smart building manager may beconfigured to include a communications security module configured toprovide network message security between the smart building manager andan outside device or application. For example, if SOAP messaging overHTTP is used for communication at the enterprise integration layer, theSOAP messages may be concatenated to include an RC2 encrypted headercontaining authentication credentials. The authentication credentialsmay be checked by the receiving device (e.g., the smart buildingmanager, the end application or device, etc.). In some embodiments theencrypted header may also contain information (e.g., bits) configured toidentify whether the message was tampered with during transmission, hasbeen spoofed, or is being “replayed” by an attacker. If a message doesnot conform to an expected format, or if any part of the authenticationfails, the smart building manager may be configured to reject themessage and any other unauthorized commands to the system. In someembodiments that use HTTP messages between the application and the smartbuilding manager, the smart building manager may be configured toprovide SSL for message content security (encryption) and/or Formsauthentication for message authentication.

The smart building manager 106 may yet further include an accesssecurity module that requires any application to be authenticated withuser credentials prior to logging into the system. The access securitymodule may be configured to complete a secure authentication challenge,accomplished via a public or private key exchange (e.g., RSA keys) of asession key (e.g., an RC2 key), after a login with user credentials. Thesession key is used to encrypt the user credentials for theauthentication challenge. After the authentication challenge, thesession key is used to encrypt the security header of the messages. Onceauthenticated, user actions within the system are restricted byaction-based authorizations and can be limited. For example, a user maybe able to command and control HVAC points, but may not be able tocommand and control Fire and Security points. Furthermore, actions of auser within the smart building manager are written to memory via anaudit trail engine, providing a record of the actions that were taken.The database component of the smart building manager 106 (e.g., forstoring device information, DR profiles, configuration data, pricinginformation, or other data mentioned herein or otherwise) can beaccessible via an SQL server that is a part of the building managementserver or located remotely from the smart building manager 106. Forexample, the database server component of the smart building manager 106may be physically separated from other smart building manager componentsand located in a more secure tier of the network (e.g., behind anotherfirewall). The smart building manager 106 may use SQL authentication forsecure access to one or more of the aforementioned databases.Furthermore, in an exemplary embodiment the smart building manager canbe configured to support the use of non-default instances of SQL and anon-default TCP port for SQL. The operating system of the smart buildingmanager may be a Windows-based operating system.

Each smart building manager 106 may provide its own security and is notreliant on a central server to provide the security. Further, the samerobustness of the smart building manager 106 that provides the abilityto incorporate new building subsystem communications standards, modules,drivers and the like also allows it to incorporate new and changingsecurity standards (e.g., for each module, at a higher level, etc.).

Multi-Campus/Multi-Building Energy Management

The smart building manager 106 shown in the Figures may be configured tosupport multi-campus or multi-building energy management services. Eachof a plurality of campuses can include a smart building managerconfigured to manage the building, IT, and energy resources of eachcampus. In such an example, the building subsystems shown, e.g, in FIGS.1A and 1B may be a collection of building subsystems for multiplebuildings in a campus. The smart building manager may be configured tobi-directionally communicate with on-site power generation systems(e.g., distributed power sources, related services, solar arrays, fuelcell arrays, diesel generators, combined heat and power (CHP) systems,etc.), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) systems, and energystorage systems (e.g., stationary energy storage, thermal energystorage, etc.). Data inputs from such sources may be used by the demandand response layer of the smart building manager to make demand orresponse decisions and to provide other ancillary services to aconnected smart grid (e.g., utility, smart meter connected to a utility,etc.) in real time or near real time. For example, the smart buildingmanager may communicate with smart meters associated with an energyutility and directly or indirectly with independent systems operators(ISOs) which may be regional power providers. Using thesecommunications, and its inputs from devices of the campus, the smartbuilding manager (e.g., the demand response layer) is configured toengage in “peak shaving,” “load shedding,” or “load balancing” programswhich provide financial incentives for reducing power draw duringcertain days or times of day. The demand response layer or other controlalgorithms of the smart building manager (e.g., control algorithms ofthe integrated control layer) may be configured to use weather forecastinformation to make setpoint or load shedding decisions (e.g., so thatcomfort of buildings in the campus is not compromised). The smartbuilding manager may be configured to use energy pricing information,campus energy use information, or other information to optimize businesstransactions (e.g., the purchase of energy from the smart grid, the saleof energy to the smart grid, the purchase or sale of carbon credits withenergy providers and purchasers, etc.). The smart building manager isconfigured to use the decisions and processing of the demand responselayer to affect control algorithms of the integrated control layer.

While FIG. 1B is shown as a tightly-coupled smart building manager 106,in some embodiments the processing circuit of FIG. 1B (including thelayers/modules thereof) may be distributed to different servers thattogether form the smart building manager having the control featuresdescribed herein. In embodiments where the smart building manager 106 iscontrolling an entire campus or set of campuses, one or more smartbuilding managers may be layered to effect hierarchical controlactivities. For example, an enterprise level smart building manager mayprovide overall DR strategy decisions to a plurality of lower levelsmart building managers that process the strategy decisions (e.g., usingthe framework shown in FIG. 3) to effect change at an individual campusor building. By way of further example, the “integrated control layer”116 and the “building system integration layer” 118 may be replicatedfor each building and stored within lower level smart building serverswhile a single enterprise level smart building manager may provide asingle higher level layer such the DR layer. Such a DR layer can executea campus-wide DR strategy by passing appropriate DR events to theseparate lower level smart building mangers having integrated controllayers and building system integration layers. Higher level servers mayprovide software interfaces (APIs) to the one or more lower levelservers so that the one or more lower level servers can requestinformation from the higher level server, provide commands to the higherlevel server, or otherwise communicate with the layers or data of thehigher level server. The reverse is also true, APIs or other softwareinterfaces of the lower level servers may be exposed for consumption bythe higher level server. The software interfaces may be web servicesinterfaces, relational database connections, or otherwise.

Configurations of Various Exemplary Embodiments

The construction and arrangement of the systems and methods as shown inthe various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only afew embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, manymodifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions,structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values ofparameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, orientations,etc.). For example, the position of elements may be reversed orotherwise varied and the nature or number of discrete elements orpositions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied orre-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions,modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design,operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodimentswithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure contemplates methods, systems and programproducts on memory or other machine-readable media for accomplishingvarious operations. The embodiments of the present disclosure may beimplemented using existing computer processors, or by a special purposecomputer processor for an appropriate system, incorporated for this oranother purpose, or by a hardwired system. Embodiments within the scopeof the present disclosure include program products or memory comprisingmachine-readable media for carrying or having machine-executableinstructions or data structures stored thereon. Such machine-readablemedia can be any available media that can be accessed by a generalpurpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor.By way of example, such machine-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM,EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which canbe used to carry or store desired program code in the form ofmachine-executable instructions or data structures and which can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or othermachine with a processor. Combinations of the above are also includedwithin the scope of machine-readable media. Machine-executableinstructions include, for example, instructions and data which cause ageneral purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purposeprocessing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions.

Although the figures may show a specific order of method steps, theorder of the steps may differ from what is depicted. Also two or moresteps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Suchvariation will depend on the software and hardware systems chosen and ondesigner choice. All such variations are within the scope of thedisclosure. Likewise, software implementations could be accomplishedwith standard programming techniques with rule based logic and otherlogic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps,comparison steps and decision steps.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A building manager comprising: acommunications interface configured to receive time-of-use informationfrom a smart energy grid; and a processing circuit comprising aprocessor configured to receive inputs from a plurality of buildingsubsystems and to provide outputs to the plurality of buildingsubsystems using a plurality of control algorithm modules configured toprocess the inputs and to determine the outputs and wherein theprocessor is configured to process the time-of-use information from thesmart energy grid to determine one or more times at which to use one ormore energy devices and adjusted setpoints for the plurality of controlalgorithm modules, the adjusted setpoints comprising setpoint energytransfer rates into the one or more energy devices and out of the one ormore energy devices at each of the one or more times, wherein theprocessor is configured to use the setpoint energy transfer rates togenerate control signals for the plurality of building subsystems andprovide the control signals as the outputs to the plurality of buildingsubsystems.
 2. The building manager of claim 1, wherein the processor isconfigured to provide a building occupant interface to a plurality ofbuilding occupants.
 3. The building manager of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is configured to measure energy use or track energy savingsbased on representations of the inputs stored in memory according to aninternational performance management and verification protocol (IPMVP).4. The building manager of claim 3, wherein the processor is configuredto provide services to enterprise level applications.
 5. The buildingmanager of claim 3, wherein the processor comprises a remote server andthe plurality of building subsystems are located in multiple buildings.6. The building manager of claim 5, wherein the processor is configuredto calculate an energy consumption without using inputs from a utilitymeter or power provider.
 7. The building manager of claim 6, wherein theprocessor is configured to validate energy use information provided by autility or meter using the energy consumption that is calculated withoutusing the inputs from the utility meter or the power provider.
 8. Thebuilding manager of claim 3, wherein the processor comprises a serverthat includes both an integrated control layer and a demand responselayer.
 9. The building manager of claim 8, wherein the demand responselayer is configured to monitor and control a power switching device torout power to one or more destinations from the one or more energydevices.
 10. The building manager of claim 9, wherein the demandresponse layer is configured to controllably shift energy loads frompeak to off peak times using the one or more energy devices.
 11. Thebuilding manager of claim 10, wherein the demand response layer isconfigured to shed energy loads associated with the plurality ofbuilding subsystems using the one or more energy devices based oninformation received during the peak times.
 12. The building manager ofclaim 11, wherein the information received during the peak times is oneof a high price signal and a contracted curtailment signal.
 13. Thebuilding manager of claim 1, wherein the one or more energy devicescomprises at least one of a battery, a thermal energy storage tank, andone or more plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
 14. The building managerof claim 9, wherein the integrated control layer is configured to useinputs from the smart energy grid, building energy loads, and/orbuilding energy storage in a control algorithm configured to reduceenergy costs based on the inputs.
 15. The building manager of claim 14,wherein the demand response layer is configured to adjust or affect thecontrol algorithm of the integrated control layer by planning a controlstrategy based on received real time pricing (RTP) information orforecasted pricing information for energy from a utility.
 16. Thebuilding manager of claim 15, wherein the demand response layer isfurther configured to calculate an estimate of demand loads for thebuilding for upcoming time periods based on at least one of historicalinformation, forecasted pricing, scheduled facility control events, andthe inputs from the plurality of building subsystems.
 17. The buildingmanager of claim 16, wherein the demand response layer is furtherconfigured to provide the estimate of demand loads for the building tothe smart energy grid for an energy provider.
 18. The building managerof claim 14, wherein the demand response layer is configured toautomatically adjust or affect the control algorithm of the integratedcontrol layer using model predictive control.
 19. A building managercomprising: a communications interface configured to receive informationrelated to cost from a smart energy grid; and a processing circuitconfigured to receive inputs from a plurality of building subsystems andto provide outputs to the plurality of building subsystems, theprocessing circuit providing a plurality of control algorithm modulesconfigured to process the inputs and to determine the outputs; whereinthe processing circuit is configured to process the information from thesmart energy grid to determine one or more times at which to use one ormore energy devices and adjusted setpoints for the plurality of controlalgorithm modules, the adjusted setpoints comprising setpoint energytransfer rates into the one or more energy devices and out of the one ormore energy devices at each of the one or more times; wherein theprocessing circuit is configured to use the setpoint energy transferrates to generate control signals for the plurality of buildingsubsystems and provide the control signals as the outputs to theplurality of building subsystems.
 20. A building manager comprising: acommunications interface configured to receive information from a smartenergy grid; and a processing circuit configured to receive inputs froma plurality of building subsystems and to provide outputs to theplurality of building subsystems, the processing circuit providing aplurality of control algorithm modules configured to process the inputsand to determine the outputs; wherein the processing circuit isconfigured to process the information received from the smart energygrid to determine one or more times at which to use one or more energydevices and adjusted setpoints for the plurality of control algorithmmodules, the adjusted setpoints comprising setpoint energy transferrates into one or more energy storage devices and out of the one or moreenergy storage devices at each of the one or more times, the processingcircuit further configured to controllably shift energy loads from peakto off peak times using the one or more energy storage devices; whereinthe processing circuit is configured to use the setpoint energy transferrates to generate control signals for the plurality of buildingsubsystems and provide the control signals as the outputs to theplurality of building subsystems.